2023 Halloween Special

2023 Halloween special

The mysterious Bugbear Warlock, Frezney, has moved into an old, abandoned tower in the village of Esker.  Since his arrival there have been strange goings on. There have been stories of hulking humanoid shapes at night carrying off the unwary. People are scared, the town guard refuse to patrol at night for fear of their lives.

Borsk, the half ogre hunter with an affinity to cats, receives a request from the herbalist half goblin, Sin, as she feels there is something dark occurring in Esker and needs Borsk`s help investigating. Borsk reluctantly heads into town leaving his niece in charge of the lodge. A week later he has not returned.

Setting the scene…

The characters are staying at Wild Water farm in between jobs, its Autumn and the leaves are falling, the weather is cooling and people are getting ready for winter. You are considering either heading to Haven to the south or Esker in the mountains for the winter when Wanda enters the common room with a message that appears to have been dropped off by the back door along with a dead rat.

The message reads:

Dearest friends, I must impose upon you on behalf of my father, Borsk, who has travelled to Esker and not returned home in several days, please come to the lodge and help.`

Wanda and Windlewill prompt the characters to go and aid their friend Borsk.

Assuming the characters go, as the characters arrive at the bridge to the lodge they can make a nature roll v 10 to recognise there are great cats in the woods watching them and following their movements.

Once the characters arrive at the lodge Cath will be in a state of near panic and will plead for the characters to go to Esker and find her uncle. She will say that Borsk always said she is not allowed to go to Esker as it is too dangerous.

She will say that Borsk received a letter from someone called Sin who lives in Esker asking for help with some darkness that is in the town, but other than that she doesn’t know where her uncle has gone or what this darkness could be.

The characters will no doubt remember Sin the herbalist! As they approach the town they will see that more than usual numbers of people are leaving the town and heading South towards Haven. If they ask why people are leaving they will hear stories of hulking figures in the night carrying off the good townsfolk. Of disappearances and murder.

At the entrance to the town guards appear nervous and will ask who the characters are and why they are in Esker, they will warn them not to travel at night unless absolutely necessary and then never alone.

Assuming the characters go to `Living in Sin, herbs and medicines for the needy` they will meet Sin here.

Sin will explain that a dark sorcerer has moved into Esker, she tried to warn the authorities, but no one ever trusts or believes a half goblin. Borsk believed Sin however and against Sin`s advice he entered the tower and has not come out. Sin believed Borsk is alive but has been captured by Frezney.

Sin will explain to the characters that Frezney is a Bugbear, a sort of part ogre, part hobgoblin, and is a fairly powerful sorcerer. However Frezney has very little time to live. Frezney has made a deal with an evil sorcerer by the name of Fistandantilus, and in five nights time Fistandantilus will claim Frezney`s life essence as payment unless Frezney can find a way to prevent it.

Frezney came to Sin wanting soul stones but Sin has none, and if she did, she certainly would not give them to Frezney for any price. A soul stone can be used in dark magic rituals. A weak soul stone can animate a corpse to obey a masters will, while a powerful soul stone can be used to make the owner immortal. This is what Frezney wants to stop Fistandantilus taking his life essence.

Soul stones are very rare. Pure soul stones are the rarest and most valuable.

Frezney is going to have to make a pure soul stone to save his miserable life, and he will need it on the fifth night. Sin believes he is waiting until the fifth night to make it, and that Borsk’s soul will be used to make it as he is disgustingly pure.

Sin will say that she believes Frezney has been attempting to make soul stones and this is why people of the town have been going missing, but Esker is so corrupt that its hard to find a pure soul these days.

Sin may not like Borsk but he did come when she asked for his help and she would rather he was not sacrificed for someone else’s immortality. `if anyone is going to turn that cat loving hulk into a soul stone, it will be me` she will mutter.

Sin will give the characters each a healing potion (3 doses, 1D6HP each dose) and a scroll knock spell to get them through the front gate. She will also give them Herman, a shrunken, shrivelled and dried head, with this she can communicate with them when they are in Frezney`s tower.

Sin will say she doesn’t know what they will find in there, but they will need to survive five nights at Frezney’s and rescue Borsk into the bargain, good luck.

Tower

The tower stands five stories tall, a strange eerie blue light flicker from the top. There are two doors to the base and no windows. The doors open as the characters walk towards them.

Level 1

Level 1 is divided into 4 quarters with four corridors. In the centre there is a spiral staircase that is encased in a nimbus of blue light. If the characters touch the light it will repel them but not harm them.

Quadrant 1 is separated from the other three by a river, there is a boat on the river on the characters side.

1.This area has faint black smoke and in the middle of the room there is a man like figure 3m tall, it appears to be some sort of statue made of stone and metal. If addressed the figure will animate and turn towards them saying the following:

`If thou would pass ye shall bring me a Chicken, a bag of Corn and a Fox. Thou shall place but one of the three in this quadrant before fetching another. Thou must all travel together. If though art successful ye may pass`

This quadrant can only be accessed by all the characters together with either a fox, chicken or corn.

2. This area has compacted earth with a chicken scratching about on the ground. The chicken is tame.

3. This area has a small sack of corn.

4. This area has various animal bones and partial skeletons and has a fox. The fox appears tame.

If the characters place or leave the fox and the chicken together the fox will kill the chicken. If the characters place or leave the chicken and the corn together the chicken will eat the corn. If this happens in area 22 the automaton will slay the animals and repeat the instructions.

If corn is eaten, or the chicken or fox are slain then all three disappear and reappear.

Once the characters succeed then the blue nimbus will change to red and the characters may pass through. When they do there will be the sound of a gong sounding.

Level 2

This large semi-circular room has two black portals. There is a shield above these with two troll heads.

The trolls will remain quiet until addressed. Characters can make a Perception roll v 10 to notice the trolls’ eyes follow them around.

Once addressed they will state that they are Lefty and Righty, the portal guardians and that one portal leads to sudden death and the other to the next level. They will say that they both know which portal is safe and which is not.

The one on the left will say that Righty always tells lies, the one on the Right will state that its Lefty that always tells lies.

The characters may ask each of them questions and they will answer.

Lefty tells truth and Righty tells lies. The safe portal is the one on the left. Anyone going through a portal will disappear. Once everyone has headed through a portal they will appear on the next level. If anyone goes through the Right portal, they will receive 2D6 damage.

Level 3

This room is circular with a crystal blue dragon in the centre, it has red gem eyes. It sits on some sort of light source that sends ten beams of blue light and two of red to the walls of the room. Where the light strikes there are mirrors that further send beams of light back to the dragon.

When the characters enter the dragon will say the following:

 “If you want to get through this sparkling room, make me the colour of a cherry in bloom!”

The characters need to cover the ten blue lit mirrors, the dragon will then turn cherry red and the doorway will appear before them. The dragon will wink as they pass and whisper “good luck” as they leave.

Level 4

The fire door. This room is semicircular, it has a single door to the flat wall with a large metal dial. There is incredible heat coming from the door, it is very hot to touch.

If the dial is turned there is a clanking sound and then the door will open and everyone in the room will be affected by what is in there.

1 = 1D4 damage, 2 = 2D4 etc. up to 10 = 10D4 damage.

Level 5

This circular room has a seemingly unconscious Borsk chained to a rack above a burning pentagram. A stone golum holds one end of the chain keeping Borsk in the air above the pentagram.

A voice will call out from the shadows: “ Ah! My guests have arrived! Allow me to introduce myself, I am Frezney Bugbear, known to some as the purple guy. And you are here to save poor Borsk by offering yourselves in his place perhaps?”

Frezney is quite affable so long as the characters do not make any aggressive moves. If they approach him he will signal the golem to start lowering Borsk to the pentagram and will inform them that once Borsk enters the pentagram his life will be drawn by the demon Fistandantilus. Should the characters wish to bargain with Frezney he will say suggest that if they could delay Fistandantilus to get him another 10 years or so he would be willing to let bygones be bygones and release Borsk. To do this the characters will need to be sent to Fistandantilus timeline and defeat him or deal with him to give Frezney the time he needs. To do this Frezney offers to cast a time portal but warns that the exact time is not always precise. The spell will send them back in time to a place where Fistandantilus is and will drag them back after shortly after.

Once the spell is cast the characters will be engulfed in blue light before having a sensation of falling…

The characters can see a wizard in a room full of books and bottles, six dwarves are sneaking up on the wizard with weapons drawn, one has no beard and wields a Warhammer, the others have axes, they all appear to be ready to attack the wizard when the characters appear above them and fall.

Each character rolls 1 D6

1-    The character falls on a dwarf wielding an axe, knocking the dwarf down. Character takes no damage but the dwarf is out cold.

2-    The character lands on the table with a crash, the table breaks and the character takes 1D4 damage.

3-    The character lands on the wizard knocking him off his chair just as the Warhammer wielding dwarf swings his hammer at the wizard, missing him. Character takes no damage. Dwarf goes flying!

4-    Character lands on a pile of books some of which catch fire causing 1 D6 fire bolts to launch out of the fire (random target other than the wizard) inflicting 1D6 damage to their target.

5- Character lands on the floor with a loud thump. Character receives 1D6 damage.

6-    Character lands in a chair perfectly. No damage received.

As soon as the dust settles the wizard shouts out for help, the dwarves attack the characters, the beardless dwarf attacks the wizard.

Dwarves HP 40 Attack +4 Damage 1D8 AC 16

The wizard will defend himself against the dwarf using a magic staff. The dwarf appears to be beating him back using his hammer.

After the second round a door to the room bursts open and a robed human bursts in carrying a heavy mace. Fistandantilus will shout out the name of Denubis! And the man will charge the dwarf with the Warhammer, behind him three armed men come through the door and attack the dwarves.

After another two rounds the dwarves will flee dragging the beardless dwarf after them.

Fistandantilus will demand to know who the characters are and who sent them. He will go on to say that they have undoubtably saved him, and that he owes them a debt. If they mention Frezney he will scowl and ask if they mean the purple guy? If so he will grant the purple guy 10 years but no more.

After this the characters will be encased in light and return to their own time. Roll 1D6.

1-    The character lands on the stone golem taking 1D4 damage and causing Borsk to drop six inches towards the pentagram.

2-    The character lands on Borsk causing him to stir and mutter. No damage to the character.

3-    The character lands on Frezney knocking him to the ground, no injury to the character.

4-    The character lands nimbly on their feet, no damage to the character.

5-    Character lands on the floor with a loud thump. Character receives 1D6 damage.

6-    The character lands partially in the pentagram taking 1D8 fire damage.

Frezney will ask what happened and will be overjoyed with the outcome. He will have Borsk released and will promise not to cause any further unrest in Esker, at least not for ten years or so.

Borsk will travel with the characters out of the tower, Sin will demand her head back.

Borsk                                                                                                                                                                        Crystal Dragon

Frezney Bugbear, the purple guy                                                             Stone Golem

Lefty and Righty the door guards

Fistandantilus in his study                                                                                             

The fire portal

Sin the Half Goblin                                         Sins herbal remedies shop